Former PM leads Israel team to India

A high-level team from Israel will visit India from December 6 to 9, the first from that country since the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government came to power.

Comprising Israeli Vice-Prime Minister and Minister for Industry, Trade, Labour and Communications, Ehud Olmert, and former Prime Minister and current Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a large business delegation will accompany the two leaders.

Not surprisingly, Israel's largest defence technology companies like Tadiron Communications and Rafael are part of the delegation.

The visit assumes significance because of the emphasis in the UPA government's common minimum progra-mme that "traditional ties with West Asia will be given a fresh thrust" and the reiteration of "India's decades-old commitment to the cause of the Palestinian people for a homeland of their own."

India sent a high-level delegation to attend the funeral of PLO leader Yasser Arafat that was to have been attended by UPA chairman Sonia Gandhi who dropped out for reasons of logistics at the last moment.

Because today Israel is India's biggest supplier of military equipment after Russia, there was some anxiety in Tel Aviv and India after the new government came to power.

But at his first press conference, Foreign Minister Natwar Singh made it clear that India's policy towards Israel "will be pragmatic and empirical and there will be no U-turns."

In a similar vein, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said when asked about Israel: "We may have divergent views but there is a convergence when it comes to securing the country's national interest".

India is now seeking defence equipment worth $ 200 million from Israel including unarmed aerial vehicles (UAVs), avionics for the SU 30 MK I, MiG 27 ML, Jaguar upgrades and fire control radars.

It is not just in defence industry that Israel is offering its wares. information technology, banking, infrastructure, agriculture, and medical equipment are the other sectors.

Among the major participants from Israel include Motorola, Rad Data Communications, Alvarion, ELISRA, ECI Telecom, ELUL Group, RAFAEL and Tadiran Communication Ltd.

The two ministers will hold meetings with Indian leaders and open business conferences in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and the Indian Merchant Chambers (IMC).

They will also announce the opening of the Israeli Trade Centre in Mumbai. A bilateral pact on joint industrial research and development is expected to be signed between the two countries during this visit.